hello everyone,

today's mystery bird, a lovely North American migrant, can be viewed here;

http://bit.ly/1xk6Dl

the most recently demystified mystery bird was a lovely Gambel's Quail, Callipepla gambelii, a picture taken from a peculiar angle, courtesy of photographer Dan Logen;

http://bit.ly/1U5DDT

This of you who enjoy macro photography will really be fascinated by these two macro videos of jumping spiders; a Male Apache Jumper (Phidippus apacheanus) Jumping Spider;

http://bit.ly/1mzlTi

and an Adult Male Phidippus mystaceus Jumping spider

http://bit.ly/mkDEA

I would also like to draw your attention to my DonorsChoose Challenge, a project where i am trying to help improve the science education for kids in high-poverty classrooms throughout the United States.

http://j.mp/qfaT1

I was notified by Hewlett-Packard today that if i manage to raise a total of $2500 by Sunday, my challenge would qualify for $2000 in matching funds. I have raised slightly more than $1500 now, so we have a few days to donate additional funds to qualify for matching HP funds. I have chosen a variety of classroom science projects to help raise funds for including an impoverished fifth-grade NYC classroom which is seeking binoculars to help kids learn about birding

http://bit.ly/1PnAfq

(But you are invited to send a link for any classroom projects that you wish to support as well, especially if I manage to win the matching funds). Anyway, all that said, it is really important to me personally to help these kids, so I am appealing to you to help me help them. i don't get one tiny little thing from this, except satisfaction. Further, I have managed to recruit support from Princeton University Press to give two books as prizes

http://bit.ly/1IfwnC

and ASPEX Corporation to donate a free scanning electron picture of an object of your choice as another prize;

http://bit.ly/4qWXhk

cheers,

GrrlScientist
http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/
http://twitter.com/GrrlScientist
http://profile.to/grrlscientist/
$upport science education for America's kids http://j.mp/qfaT1
Roosting high up a tree somewhere in Central Park, NYC